The Theory of Oscillating universe Is one of many that have been planned as a possible explanation of the origin and evolution of the universe. According to this theory, the universe would oscillate between a Big Bang and a Big Crunch.
This process presupposes a beginning and an end of a universe that gives rise to a new Big Bang and, consequently, to a new universe. It is also known as the theory of the cyclic universe.
For some physicists, this would be possible if the hydrogen present in the intergalactic spaces exceeds in seven times the matter of all the galaxies.
This would slow down the escape velocity of galaxies and begin to collide with each other to form the Primitive Ylem Or initial state of the universe. According to this approach the age of the universe exceeds 80 billion years.
In its book History of weather , Stephen Hawking in speaking of this theory resembles the universe to an accordion that opens to an expansive timeline that would arrive at a gravitational braking to begin the recoil until its implosion. For this author, it would be a unique and self-sufficient universe.
An oscillating universe theory starts from the premise that the universe is closed with a radius of curvature that will also oscillate.
It also means that the current universe may be the first of a possible series of universes. It could also be one more or the number N Of the series.
Scientists involved with oscillating universe theory
Alexander Friedmann
He was a mathematician who developed this idea in the form of mathematical equations in 1922.
Richard Tolman
Although Friedmann developed the mathematical model, it was this physicochemical who made the whole approach of the oscillating universe for the first time in 1934.
George Gamow
He spoke of the theory indicating that the big explosion gave rise to stars and galaxies and that the expansion that occurred after the Big Bang has been losing speed.
That is, if you compare the speed of expansion of a few years back with that which can be observed today, you would notice a considerable decrease in speed.
For Gamow, this fact suggests that the expansion of the cosmos will become slower and slower until it reaches a point where it no longer occurs, but rather shrinks into another"cosmic egg."
Criticisms of oscillating universe theory
Although accepted by cosmologists for some time, oscillating universe theory ceased to be popular since 1960, due to several contradictions or inconsistencies that began to reveal scientists.
In fact, in the 1980s, Stephen Hawking and Roger Penrose proved that the universe could not rebound after a contraction, as suggested by oscillating universe theory.
Some of these criticisms are related to the weak explanation of why this rebound would occur and the incompatibility with the second law of thermodynamics according to which, the entropy would rise in each oscillation so that it could not be returned to the initial conditions.
Some scientists believe that in order for an oscillating universe to be possible, everything should be restarted with the Big Crunch, including physical laws.
On the other hand, there is no such amount of gravitational mass in the universe, as to justify the braking and possible contraction of the universe.
There are those who argue that the oscillation is eternal, while others believe that it is only one more cosmic state because an eternal oscillation would degrade the universe according to known physical laws.
The lack of an explanation of the origin of everything, of the first Big Bang, is another point against this theory. It does not satisfy the scientific community with the idea of a primitive atomic mass or"cosmic egg."
The discovery of dark energy and the rise of the idea that the universe is not closed have also contributed to scientists abandoning this theory.
Nor did he find much acceptance among the scholars who approached him from a religious position.
However, there are those who still think the universe oscillates, and see it reinforced by the emergence of brane cosmology.
Physicist Alexander Friedman of the University of Petrograd is one of the believers in this theory.
The way of life in an oscillating universe is another of the unresolved questions. There are those who have ventured to say that it would be based on carbon and that its metabolism would work through chemical reactions, such as the living beings that are known today.
Overcoming the oscillating universe
Since it is a theory that is incompatible with the physical laws of the known world, many scientists argue that the universe will not expand to the point of singularity through the quantum effects of gravity.
Accordingly, these forces will cause the universe to continue expanding.
To reinforce this idea, scientists rely on the evidence of cosmic microwave background radiation (CMBR), which indicates that the universe is most likely to reach a Big Freeze or Heat Death.
Such evidence has been collected with the same device that helped to calculate the age of the universe: the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP). There is therefore a very convincing probability in the scientific setting.
References
- Atomic Heritage Foundation (2017). Richard Tolman. Retrieved from: Atomic Heritage.com.
- Geographical science (2011). Theory of the oscillating universe. Retrieved from: webservices.co.uk webservices.co.uk.
- Monserrat, Javier (2011). Hawking's work confirms the metaphysical enigma of the universe. Possible speculation: Hawking and the cosmology of the multiverse. Thought Magazine. Vol. 67 (2011), no. 254 pp. 1133-1145. Autonomous University of Madrid. Retrieved from:
- Nieves, José Manuel (2013). Stephen Hawking: The universe does not need God to exist. Recovered from abc.es.
- Pérez Carlos (2006). The origin of the universe. Retrieved from: unav.edu.
- Santana, Ana Lucia (s / f). Oscillating Universe. Recovered from: infoescola.com.
- Villanueva John (2015). Oscillating universe theory. Retrieved from: universetoday.com.